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Agenda item

Minutes:

Gareth Bradford presented a report which updated the Board on the progress to date in developing a WMCA proposal for the region to deliver collectively on affordable and social housing with HM Government and a summary of the developments in housing policy and analysis supporting this approach. He reported on discussions, inter alia, with HM Government, registered providers and the Mayoral Homelessness Task Force on this matter.

 

Pat Willoughby assured the Board that the intention was not to set regional affordable housing targets with this responsibility remaining with Local Planning Authorities. She outlined the steps the WMCA Housing and Regeneration Team had taken with regard to developing the proposal to HM Government and explained the ‘ask from’ and ‘offer to’ HM Government.

 

Councillor Peter Bilson welcomed the ‘ask from’ and ‘offer to’ HM Government as detailed in paragraph 4.4 of the report and drew to the attention of the Board the work which was underway on the Walsall to Wednesbury (W2W) Corridor. He suggested that the more powers that were devolved by HM Government to the WMCA the more that could be delivered by the WMCA working with its local authority partners. The Chair reminded the Board that it was not the role of the WMCA to deliver but that this was the responsibility of the respective Local Planning Authorities.

 

Councillor Richard Overton commented on the absence of numbers of units to be delivered in the document and that whilst he welcomed the provision of affordable housing it should be possible to calculate these numbers by multiplying the number by the 20% limit. Pat Willoughby explained that the 20% was a minimum number with a higher figure being applied by certain Local Planning Authorities. The issue was that currently the 20% target was not being achieved.

 

Councillor Kieran Casey referred to Appendix 2 of the report (Defining housing affordability) and suggested that different definitions would need to be applied across the region. Councillor Ian Courts referred to paragraph 4.4 of the report inasmuch as it focussed on the development on Brownfield land, protecting Green belt and green field land where appropriate. Councillor Daren Pemberton commented that this particular part of the ‘offer to’ HM Government was difficult for the rural authorities insofar as there were very few, if any, Brownfield sites available for redevelopment. He suggested that this was likely to rule out the rural based authorities from contributing to the desired housing numbers. He advised that this definition needed to address to subtle nuances of the geography of the region and the urban : rural make up. Councillor Richard Overton suggested that the wording of the ‘offer to’ be revised to recognise this issue.

 

Resolved:

1.    That the approach to delivering the affordable housing workstream as detailed in the report be agreed;

2.    That the key elements of a potential affordable housing deal with HM Government as detailed in the report be agreed;

3.    That the background evidence on progress and supply be noted;

4.    The progress in developing a proposal for a Housing Affordability Deal with HM Government be noted;

5.    That it be noted that the report had been considered, and the broad contents endorsed, for submission to this Board by the Housing and Land Steering Group with a collective agreement that addressing the growing affordability challenge would be crucial to achieving full success. 

 

Supporting documents: